Real Bride Friday | Carlee and Adam

Wedding Date: July 13th, 2022

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Venue: Backyard Wedding

Photographer: Madelynn Mae Photography

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Daccori (friend)

Hair: AK Upstyles

Catering/Cake: Arctic Moon Bakery

Tailor: Aggie’s Alterations

Favorite part of your gown: “The details and the fit. I always thought I’d fall in love with a very simple dress, little to no detail, maybe a halter or straps. I ended up with the complete opposite lots of detail, form fitting and strapless.”

Why did you pick your dress: “A feeling. When they say you’ll know when you found your dress you will it’s not about what you think you’ve always wanted or what someone else says looked good on you. It’s about how you feel in it and I had that moment.”

The best part of the venue: “It was at our first home which made it that much more special. Also the first time our families got to see our home.”

Why did you pick your venue: “We planned on having a more traditional reception in NY where we are both from. So, for our ceremony we wanted it very special and close to heart and what better place than our own home. We had our mini ceremony up at Hatcher’s Pass before heading back to our house to celebrate.”

Three words to describe your day: “Intimate, emotional, perfect”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “I am a visual person so seeing things I liked from other weddings, Pinterest, etc. brought the whole idea together.”

How you met: “Started dating 8 years ago, we knew each other from mutual friends. Chatted here and there online and finally bit the bullet and went on a movie date and have been together since.”

How they proposed: “He actually proposed twice, he didn’t think the first ring was good enough. First time was shortly after we moved here on a hike, Virgin Creek Falls. We just made it all the way in when he popped the question. Second time we went to Alyeska for our five year anniversary. We were having dinner at Seven Glaciers on an extremely cloudy December day when literally in the middle of dinner the clouds cleared. We had the servers hold the food so we could go take pictures of the views when I turned to go back he was on one knee.”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “We got matching hockey jerseys with our wedding date and our married name and had everyone who celebrated with us sign them. We had a “walk through our journey” activity on our trail on our property showing photos of us through the years and how we got to where we are together.”

Real Bride Friday | Sharayah and Zach

Wedding Date: June 5th, 2021

Gown Designer: Willowby

Venue: Family Homestead - McCarthy Road

Photographer: Theresa McDonald

Band: Blackwater Railroad Co.

Menswear: Mens Warehouse

Florist: The Teal Door

Hair and Makeup: Courtney Strahan

Catering/Cake: Royal Dezzerts

Favorite part of your gown: “The embroidered flowers.”

Why did you pick your dress: “It was the last dress I tried on and the only one that made me feel like a bride.”

The best part of the venue: “The scenery and how everything came together.”

Why did you pick your venue: “It was a dream of mine to get married at my family's property.”

Three words to describe your day: “Joyful, memorable, perfect”

Your inspiration for your day: “Modern/nature wedding aesthetic”

How you met: “Playing rugby!”

How they proposed: “He proposed after my birthday dinner.”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “Getting to take a victory lap in my Uncle's Cessna after the ceremony. Playing touch rugby on the runway. When a bunch of the wedding guests and the band jumping in the lake at the end of the night.”

Real Bride Friday | Tasha and Joshua

Wedding Date: September 17th, 2022

Gown Designer: Bateau Bridal Boutique, Private Collection

Veil Designer: Hushed Commotion

Bridesmaid’s Gowns: Sorella Vita from Bateau Bridal Boutique

Groomsmen ‘s Ties: Sorella Vita from Bateau Bridal Boutique

Mother of the Groom’s Gown: Tadashi from Bateau Bridal Boutique

Venue: Settlers Bay Lodge

Photographer: Rachel Struve Photography

DJ: Ondago Dj and Entertainment

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse and Ties from Sorella Vita / Bateau Bridal Boutique

Floral Hairpiece: Paper Peony

Hair: Mirrors and Shears

Makeup: Firebird Esthetics

Catering/Cake: Midnight Sun Cakery

Tailor: Celestial Designs

Favorite part of your gown: “The beaded bodice and off the shoulder sleeves! It was so pretty and felt so perfect and fancy to wear.”

Why did you pick your dress: “It was the first dress I felt truly like a bride (and a princess!) in. It wasn't at all what I pictured when I went shopping, but it was truly the perfect dress for me. The train was beautiful and elegantly detailed with the lace and I could honestly talk about it forever if you let me.”

The best part of the venue: “We loved the brick path leading to the archway with an amazing view behind it. The big dance floor everyone could party on and the delicious food for catered by Settlers Bay Lodge was also a plus!”

Why did you pick your venue: “Settlers Bay Lodge had amazing catering included, plus we could do both the ceremony and reception in one place.”

Words to describe your day: “Fantastic. Love-filled. Heartfelt. Intimate”

Inspiration for your day: “Classy rustic and natural”

How you met: “We met in theater class in high school, but then lost touch. We rekindled in college and started dating!”

How they proposed: “Josh crafted the perfect day where we did so many of my favorite things, ate dinner at my favorite restaurant (Ginger) and then he took me up to Stuck-Again Heights where he had set up a beautiful archway and picnic overlooking Anchorage and he proposed!”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “Our choreographed first dance was so much fun, and our first look with each other was one I'll never forget. We both hid what we were wearing from each other so our first look was a surprise to us both!”

Real Bride Friday | Shayla and Dustin

Wedding Date: October 1st, 2022

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Veil and Hair Piece Designer: Bel Aire Bridal

Venue: The Barn PNW; Dayton, OR

Photographer: Eleanore Rebecca Photography LLC

Videographer: Duran Creative

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Kellye at The Barn

DJ: JT Event Services

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Blooms of Grace

Hair and Makeup: Rust and Roses Beauty

Catering/Cake: Lonestar Catering; Sweetly Baked

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved the detail of the lace at the top of the dress in the front and also the deep, open back. It truly fit like a glove and made me feel so beautiful.”

Why did you pick your dress: “I was torn between two dresses, and when trying them back on a second time, the tears started flowing so I knew I’d found my dress!”

The best part of the venue: “We loved the ceremony location of our venue! It was located at the end of an orchard and opened up to a beautiful, unobstructed view of the valley. With both of us being from the Pacific Northwest, it felt like a piece of home.”

How you met: “Dustin and I met through our friends; my teaching partner is married to one of Dustin’s best friends. They set us up on a blind date at Buffalo Wild Wings to finally get us to meet.”

How they proposed: “Dustin and I were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with some family and friends. It was the final night of our trip, just after dinner, right at sunset when we went out on the balcony for a final picture when Dustin dropped to one knee to ask me to marry him!”

Real Bride Friday | Kristin and Corey

Wedding Date: August 27th, 2022

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Venue: Inn at Turn Lake

Photographer: Joshua Veldstra

Band: H3

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Kathy Devette (purchased from Cedar’s Wholesale)

Hair and Makeup: Carajean Gibbons and Alexis Terra

Catering/Cake: Firebrand BBQ and Desserts made by my mother in law and family

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved the details on the back of the corset top and how lightweight and flowy it was! I absolutely adored my dress.”

The best part of the venue: “My husbands parents own the Inn at Tern Lake so it was an obvious choice for us, but even if they didn’t I would have still chosen this location in our beautiful home of Moose Pass. The Inn is in the most stunning location and the entire team at the inn is top notch and will make your day the absolute best!”

Three words to describe your day: “Emotional, dreamy, fun”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “We decided to write and say our own vows during the ceremony and I was really nervous about it but I am so glad we did. It was so sweet and emotional for us to express our love in front of all our friends and family and I’ll never forget it.”

Real Bride Friday | Asher and AustiN

Wedding Date: July 16th, 2022

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Veil Designer: Jennifer Leigh

Venue: Radiant Church and Main Event Banquet Hall

Photographer: Isabel Forester Photography

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Favorite part of your gown: “I absolutely loved the detailing across the entire thing! The train was gorgeous!”

Why did you pick your dress: “It was the first one I tried on and none of the others compared to it. I felt gorgeous, curvy and saw myself walking down the isle in it.”

The best part of the venue: “Our Church: The Architecture / Reception Venue: Space and Dance Floor”

Why did you pick your venue: “The first time we ever walked into our church, I knew it was where we would get married (we weren’t even engaged then). We picked our reception venue because we knew we would need a big space for dancing!”

Three words to describe your day: “Perfect, Romantic, Party”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “I’ve had my wedding planned since I was 5, so it was easy to finish the details. Basically, our inspiration was romantic, classy, and timeless.”

How you met: “A mutual friend introduced us.”

How they proposed: “He just couldn’t wait to propose and proposed the day he picked up the ring. In the driveway around 10pm.”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “Our wedding was a Samoan/Jewish fusion, so there was glass stomping, salt and wine ceremonies, Taulunga (Traditional Samoan wedding dance), outfit changes into traditional Samoan wedding attire… so much culture and tradition packed into one day.”

Real Bride Friday | Miranda and AleX

Wedding Date: July 29th, 2022

Gown Designer: WTOO

Venue: The Log Cabin (Massachusetts)

Photographer / Videographer: Light Feather Photography

DJ: Shawn Santanello

Menswear: Men’s Warehouse

Florist: The Botaniste

Hair and Makeup: The Beauty Studio

Catering/Cake: Cerrato's Italian Pastry Shop and Cafe

Favorite part of your gown: “The details and beading. I felt amazing in it even after waiting and extra year to wear it due to COVID AND while also being 6 months postpartum after having our daughter! 💕”

Why did you pick your dress: “I fell in love with it. It was the only dress I tried on that made me excited. I wanted to keep opening the bag to peek at it after I picked it up!”

The best part of the venue: “It was outdoors and reminded me a lot of home (Alaska)!”

Why did you pick your venue: “It’s my husbands home city and it was a gorgeous outdoor venue that gave us the Alaska feel that we wanted.”

Three words to describe your day: “Blissful. Loving. Perfect.”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “Alaska! Being that it was In Massachusetts I wanted to incorporate as much natural/simple beauty as possible. So we decorated with simple greenery, and mountain inspired table numbers.”

How you met: “A night out on the town.”

How they proposed: “He took me back to one of our first date spots from the first time I visited him in Valdez 💕”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “The speeches! One of our best men did Nick Millers speech from New Girl and it was the greatest thing in the world!”

Real Bride Friday | Madeline and Keaton

Wedding Date: August 27th, 2022

Gown Designer: Martina Liana

Veil Designer: Ariel Taub

Bridesmaids Gowns: Sorella Vita

Venue: Cusack’s on the Kenai

Photographer: Madelynn Mae Photography

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Jessie Molyneux

DJ: 907 Entertainment

Menswear: Bonobos

Florist: Ema - Wild Fire Flowers AK

Hair: Cassie Thompson

Makeup: Jessica Seymour

Catering: Moose River BBQ

Cake/Cupcakes: Sugar Mountain Cupcakes

Tailor: Yu Tailor

Favorite part of your gown: “The simplicity.”

Why did you pick your dress: “I felt like me when I put it on & never stopped thinking about it even after searching for an entire year. I always went back to the dress.”

The best part of the venue: “Scenery”

Why did you pick your venue: “We picked our venue because we both grew up fishing on the Kenai. It’s nostalgic to us, we spend every weekend of the summer fishing at our property in Sterling. Cusack’s had everything we were looking for - a venue for our entire wedding party & SO’s plus the most beautiful lodge w/ spectacular views.”

Three words to describe your day: “Joyous, love, laughter”

Inspiration for the day: “I wanted my florals & the venue to be the highlight of the wedding. I made the decor very dainty and simple. Small vases w/ fresh flowers and gold candle sticks on the tables with ivory linens. A chandelier above the bar & gold accents. We hung lights w/ greenery and lanterns from the tent. I think my artistic side really shined through - my vision came from my own sense of style and I had so much fun making my dream come to life.”

How you met: “We’ve went to school from elementary - high school. Our good friends are all part of the same clique. After college we rekindled at slush cup & a few months later we hit it off at our good friend’s wedding - the rest is history!”

How they proposed: “Our 3 year anniversary at Orca Island”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “Every moment was unforgettable. The best weekend of my life for so many reasons.”

Real Bride Friday | Rachel and Aryan

Wedding Date: June 11th, 2022

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Veil Designer: Bel Aire Bridal

Venue: Land's End Resort

Photographer: Theresa McDonald

Videographer: Josh Vassar Films

DJ: Fractal Theory

Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse

Hair and Makeup: Shawn McLyons

Cake: Two Sisters Bakery

Tailor: Celestial Designs

Favorite part of your gown: “The detailing! The more you looked at it the more detail you saw and the more sparkly it got!”

Why did you pick your dress: “I chose my dress because it made me feel beautiful and elegant.”

The best part of the venue: “The breathtaking scenery was the best part!”

Why did you pick your venue: “We picked it because it was sentimental to us and we wanted a beautiful outdoor ceremony.”

Three words to describe your day: “Romantic, beautiful, and unforgettable”

Inspiration for your day: “Romantic and beachy”

How you met: “We met on campus at UAA and he asked me to get coffee with him.”

How they proposed: “He proposed to me on a family camping trip on Bishop's Beach in Homer!”

Any other fun details or memories: “We had a lego guest and our getaway car was the Homer Trolley!”

Real Bride Friday | Malia and Elijah

Wedding Date: May 28th, 2022

Gown Designer: Stella York

Venue: At the Barn Matsu

Photographer: Emelia K Photography

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Hannah Johnson

DJ: Simple Sound Alaska and Maile Hutchinson @mailehutchinson_music

Hair and Makeup: Kelly Evatt and Kelsey Urrea @lipstick_and_bobbypins

Catering/Cake: Dani Barto

Tailor: Celestial Designs

Favorite part of your gown: “Everything! I loved the glittery, flowy feel, the unique straps, v-back, and the floral train.”

Why did you pick your dress: “It made me feel so glamorous!!”

Why did you pick your venue: “We needed a place big enough, first off! But we loved the warm-colored interior, the gorgeous lawn for the ceremony, and hanging out.”

How you met: “We met in college at UAA. We had some mutual friends and we were in the same friend group for a while.”

How they proposed: “He set up a romantic picnic date out in Cooper Landing. After dinner we walked along the trail. When the trail narrowed out, he let me go ahead of him. He said, “oh hey what’s this?” I turned around and he was on one knee. We both cried like babies.”